Keeping Convention Weird: Plan your Visit to Wacky, Wonderful Austin

by Norma Crosby

Every year, members of the National Federation of the Blind gather for our family reunion, a.k.a. the National Convention. In 2026, we are gathering in Austin, Texas, and it promises to be a record-setting year.

Austin is a beautiful, weird city full of fun and excitement, and we plan to add to that excitement during the convention. The Texas affiliate is planning hospitality on par with our 2023 convention in Houston. Will it be the same as 2023? No. Austin and Houston are both great cities, but each has its own distinct personality. Houston is the big sister with glitz, glamour, and audacity. Austin is the little sister with an outlaw streak. Just ask the quintessential outlaw, Willie Nelson.

There is a lot of work to do at NFB 2026, but even the most dedicated Federationists find a way to have some fun wherever they go, and Austin lends itself to both hard work and lots of play.

For Your Listening Pleasure

Austin is the live music capital of the world, and that music ranges from country to jazz to blues, and everything in between. There are music venues all over town, and chances are that if you meet someone on the street, they are part of a band of some sort. Your grocery clerk probably has a band. State employees probably are in a band. Heck, even the legislators at the Capitol are likely to write songs and play guitar on the side.

You’ll find lots of live music along both East and West 6th streets. It is definitely a people’s place. So, if you don’t love crowds, find other places to visit.

For Foodies

East Austin is where you’ll find authentic Latin culture and real-deal Mexican and Tex-Mex dining. There are barbecue places all over town, and while Franklin’s is the gold standard, you’ll find other great places as well. Besides, you might not get to the head of Franklin’s line before the convention ends.

If you need a date night and want barbecue, try the County Line on the Lake. It is situated in a beautiful part of the city, but fair warning, it is about 25 minutes from the hotel. So, you might want to save it for a special night. It isn’t stuffy, and it is busy on the weekend. It isn’t just for date night; it is lively and kid-friendly too.

Texas Monthly is our state’s magazine, and every four years, they search for fifty of the best BBQ restaurants in the state. That list is read religiously by most Texans, and some make a pilgrimage around the state to visit all fifty. In 2025, Austin had eight of the fifty within its borders, and two of those were in the top ten. That’s great, and you’ll find them listed in the restaurant guide we’ll share for the convention. However, the truth is that most of any shack that serves barbecue in Texas will be just as good as these. In fact, I’ve found that the most unassuming BBQ restaurants are the best. We’ll dig those up for you as well.

Tex-Mex is another staple in the diets of most Texans, and you’ll find plenty of that during your visit to Austin. My personal favorite is Matt’s El Rancho, but just like the barbecue, it’s hard to go wrong, and there are some pretty good choices near our hotel.

Fun, Fitness, and Frivolity

After doing all that eating, you might want some exercise, and just down the road from our hotel is the Ann & Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail. It circles Lady Bird Lake and is a beautiful walk or run. (Fun fact: Lady Bird Lake is also crossed by the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, home to the world’s largest urban bat colony, which means you can go and watch the bats fly from under the bridge for their nightly food forays if you so desire.) If you want to travel a little further, make a trip to Zilker Park with the family. It is about 30 minutes on foot or 10 minutes by car. Zilker is a beautiful park with a three-acre spring-fed pool called Barton Creek. It will really cool you off on a July day because the water temperature hovers around 68 degrees all year. It is an experience everyone should have, but beware, the bottom is slippery. So, bring your water shoes, and go on a weekday. It is very crowded on the weekend.

Bucking the High Cost of Convention

Now that I have convinced you to come to NFB 2026, let’s talk about how you can make your Austin visit less expensive. We all know that hotel prices are high, and we all know that eating every meal at the hotel is impossible for many of us. So, let’s talk about finding less expensive food options.

Many experienced convention-goers have discovered that we can save a fair chunk of change by ordering a grocery delivery or making a quick grocery run. Of course, you can always make a trip to Walmart, but that might not be how you want to roll. In Texas, we have a holy budget-food trinity: H-E-B, Buc-ee’s, and Whataburger. So, let’s start with H-E-B.

H-E-B is a Texas-based market that Texans would practically lay down their lives for. They have all the national brands, but better than that, they have their own product lines. Whether it is Central Market, Mi Tienda, Hill Country Fair, or one of the other store brands, they are less expensive than the national brands, and they are as good or better. That’s not why we love them, though. Aside from offering good prices, quality products, and friendly service, H-E-B is the first one there when there is a disaster requiring the community to pull together. During Hurricane Harvey in 2017, they found a way to open when other stores weren’t, and they set up kitchens to help make sure people were fed.

If you want delivery, you can use Uber Eats for Walmart and H-E-B, but you can also download the Favor app to order from H-E-B, pharmacies, and restaurants. Favor sometimes runs pretty good discounts with local restaurants. You might also want to gather a group of friends and make a grocery run. Having light food on hand can help you manage your money and still have a great food experience.

H-E-B has other company branded stores, like Central Market. There is a great one in central Austin. They often have live music, healthy options, an outdoor patio, and a playground for kids. Central Market is a fun experience and is located about fifteen minutes from downtown by car. CapMetro buses also stop nearby.

I mentioned Buc-ee’s, and if you live in a state where it exists, you know that it is an experience. Some call it a gas station, and it is that on steroids. Others call it the world’s largest convenience store, and it may also be that. What it really is is chaos, the opportunity to spend copious amounts of money on snacks, souvenirs, sandwiches, fudge, burritos, and millions of items I am not naming.

This may sound ridiculous, but we are considering a tour to Buc-ee’s. I’m serious. I won’t boast that it will save you money because you will buy some things you don’t need. You may question your life choices later, but if we do it, you will be with fellow Federationists. So, not only will you stock up on good snack food, you’ll have a great time.

If we get enough interest by May 15, a tour will happen. If you are in, send an email with the subject line Buc-ee’s Tour to [email protected], and I’ll add you to our mailing list. You will be notified by June 1 if the tour is on. Bring your wallet and an empty bag to pack the extra loot for your trip home. Ah, who am I kidding? You’ll eat it all in Austin.

The third element of our holy trinity is Whataburger. Some people, maybe me, stop at Whataburger every time they fly back into Texas after a trip to a place where no Whataburgers exist. Is there anything special about Whataburger? Well, if you want to save a little money, Whataburger is an option. Whether you grab a group and make a burger run or do a group Uber Eats order, it will cost less than hotel meals, and it’s good. Is it the best burger in the world? That depends on who you talk to. I will say that it is very good, and it originated in Texas. So, it is a rule that we have to love it even though the company sold out to a firm in Chicago a few years ago.

Kid Stuff

Lots of families come to our convention, and we love having them. So, I thought I would tell you about a couple of things for the kids. Of course, I already mentioned Zilker Park and Barton Creek. That would be a fun family excursion. But Austin has more to offer.

The Thinkery is a hands-on children’s museum with lots of fun activities. Some of the activities involve water, so they suggest bringing a change of clothes for children who may participate in those. The museum hires blind people from time-to-time, and our affiliate will be working to ensure that both our blind and sighted visitors have a good experience. The museum is not downtown, but it is only a ten-minute Uber ride away.

Other family friendly options include the BookPeople. The largest independent bookseller in Texas offers books for both adults and children, and they also have gifts that you might want to take home. Across the street is the flagship Whole Foods Market, with its rooftop playground, and before you leave the area, take the kids to the 24 Diner, a farm-to-table comfort food outpost.

I’ve barely scratched the surface of what Austin has to offer, and I promise we’ll share more in our restaurant and touring guide. We’ll post it by June 15. Of course, there is nothing more fun for kids and adults than the family reunion that happens each year at a Federation convention. Join us to learn how to make sure blindness does not hold you back. Spend time building your community. Introduce your children to all this organization has to offer.

We can’t wait to see y’all. Bring your boots and hats because there may be a $100 prize for the people judged to be the best dressed cowboy and cowgirl on the first day of general session.

Whether you love beer, barbecue, Tex-Mex, family fun in the outdoors, or seeing a million bats fly from under a bridge, Austin is the place for you. It’s quirky, maybe a little weird, but is one of Texas’s jewels. Add the chance to participate in the largest convention of blind people anywhere in the world into the mix, and Austin is the place to be from July 3-8.